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High blood pressure is called the “silent killer” for good reason. High blood pressure is a leading cause of heart attack and stroke, which together kill more than 750,000 people in the United States every year (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.) High blood pressure affects more than 74.5 million people in the United States, according to the American Heart Association, and that’s just the people who have been diagnosed - many of us are unaware we suffer from this deadly condition.

Can you lower blood pressure without medications? The answer, in many cases, is "yes". It’s not too late to lower your blood pressure – take steps now and you are likely to lead a longer and healthier life.

What’s more, blood pressure solutions don’t only come from the doctor. Did you know that there are natural ways to lower your blood pressure? Diet, supplements, exercise and even herbs help keep your blood pressure at a healthy level.

What is Blood Pressure?

We all need oxygen to survive. Oxygen is transported to every organ in the body through the blood, using pressure. This is your blood pressure – the force your heart uses to pump blood out through your veins and arteries.

Blood pressure is measured by two readings, the systolic blood pressure and the diastolic blood pressure. Systolic (the first number) is the pressure in your blood vessels when your heart contracts, and diastolic (the second number) is the pressure when the heart is at rest. (Read more about what blood pressure means.)

What is High Blood Pressure?

High blood pressure is also known as hypertension and it is categorized as 140/90 mmHg or higher over a period of time. One high reading doesn’t mean you suffer from high blood pressure – you may be stressed or you just ran for the bus.

A physician takes readings over time and uses this to tell whether you have high blood pressure.

If you consistently have a reading of 140/90 mmHg or above you are at risk of damaging your arteries and putting a huge strain on your heart. These problems, over time, cause heart attack and stroke. High blood pressure may even shrink the volume of your brain, new studies have found. (Read more about how hypertension can shrink your brain volume.)

How Can You Lower Your Blood Pressure Naturally?

Drugs help lower blood pressure but they are not the only answer. You can start by cutting salt from your diet. The sodium in table salt holds excess fluid and puts added strain on your heart.

The 2001 Cochrane review of 13 studies found people with diabetes who reduced their salt intake by 8.5g a day also lowered their blood pressure by 7/3mmHg – a similar result to taking blood pressure-lowering medication. The American Heart Association recommends consuming less than 1,500mg of sodium a day – less or none if you suffer from high blood pressure. It’s not very much; just over half a teaspoon of salt. Most of us eat way too much and a lot of it comes from packaged and convenience foods. (Read more about how much salt is in your food.)

Exercise is also a positive blood pressure lowering activity. And did you know that some of the most powerful blood pressure remedies are found not in the pharmacy but on our kitchen shelves? We’ve looked at the recent scientific research to see which natural remedies are best for lowering blood pressure.

Top 10 Natural Remedies for High Blood Pressure

1. Coffee – Good or Bad for Blood Pressure?

We may feel the effects of a strong cup of coffee – an elevated mood, more energy and increased concentration - but does that mean our blood pressure is rising too?

Two or three cups of coffee push systolic pressure up by 3 to 14 mm Hg and diastolic pressure up by 4 to 13 mm Hg, according to the Mayo Clinic, but the effect is brief. A 2010 study from the University of Maryland found drinking coffee caused small to moderate increases in blood pressure but the effect was short-lived, and regular coffee drinking was not linked to a long-term increase in blood pressure.

In fact, people who regularly knock back the java may develop a tolerance to caffeine, which means their blood pressure doesn’t move much. If you drink more than four cups of coffee a day the effect is more dramatic, according to a 1998 study from Duke University.

Four or five cups raised blood pressure by an average of five points – an increase that remained throughout the day.

The link between coffee and blood pressure is far from clear.

In a 2010 study from the University of Maryland, men not women experienced a rise in blood pressure when drinking a greater amount of coffee – and the result depended on age.

Some coffee derivatives actually may be good for your blood pressure - a 2006 study by the Health Care Products Laboratories, Kao Corporation, Tokyo, found chlorogenic acids in water-soluble green coffee bean extract reduced blood pressure in rats and humans. And a 2005 study from the University of l'Aquila in Italy says eating 100g of dark chocolate a day for 15 days lowers blood pressure.

It may not be coffee, per se, that is the problem. Some studies, including a 2005 review of clinical trials on coffee from Wageningen University, The Netherlands, have linked caffeine with high blood pressure but not coffee.

2. Cut Your Caffeine to Lower Your Blood Pressure

While one or two cups of coffee a day are unlikely to significantly increase your blood pressure the same can´t be said for all caffeine-containing beverages. Energy drinks, for example, could be sending your blood pressure through the roof. A 2012 study from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock compared energy drinks to caffeine supplementation and found sipping energy drinks increased mean 24-hour and daytime blood pressure more than the same amount of caffeine as a supplement.

High caffeine levels (some high-energy drinks contain up to 200mg per small serving compared to 175mg in a cup of instant coffee) and other added, possibly blood pressure raising, ingredients make energy drinks potentially problematic for your blood pressure.

The Mayo Clinic recommends you limit caffeine to around 200mg a day if you have high blood pressure, and to 500mg if your blood pressure is fine. 500mg is about two 8-ounce cups of brewed coffee.

Be careful because the caffeine content in beverages varies wildly – even within the same coffee shop chain. According to a University of Florida College of Medicine survey, the strongest brewed specialty coffee contains twice as much caffeine as the weakest. And even decaffeinated coffee contains small amounts of caffeine.

How much caffeine is in a Diet Coke? A 12 ounce can of Diet Coke has 45 grams of caffeine. Regular Coke has less caffeine, about 30 to 35 per 12 ounce can. Pepsi has less caffeine, according to the official Pepsi cola website. It claims that Pepsi and Diet Pepsi have about 25 grams of caffeine for 8 fluid ounces, which works out to about 37 grams for a 12 ounce, close to the 45 grams of caffeine for Coca-cola.

How much caffeine is in Sprite? Zero, Sprite is caffeine-free, as are 7-Up, A&W Root Beer and most clear colored-drinks. However, Mountain Dew is surprisingly loaded with caffeine, about 46 to 55 grams per 12 ounce serving.

3. Drink Beet Juice and Hibiscus Tea to Lower Your Blood Pressure

If you’re nervous about the link between caffeine and high blood pressure, or you’re at risk of exceeding the recommended 500mg a day, try a different blood pressure-busting beverage. Two glasses of beet juice a day (500ml total) can lower blood pressure by 10 points within three hours, according to a 2008 study from the London School of Medicine, UK.

Hibiscus tea is used around the world as a treatment for hypertension, according to a 2013 study from the University of Arizona. This study, led by Dr. Allison Hopkins looked at all other existing studies on the effectiveness of "hibiscus sabdariffa" in lowering blood pressure. The results were convincing.

They found that hibiscus tea or extracts are used in 10 countries to lower blood pressure and counter high fat levels in the blood (hperlipidemia) with no known side effects. They found that hibiscus was just as effective as certain high blood pressure medications (Captropril) but not as effective as others (Lisinopril).

In a separate 1999 study from the Shahee Behesti University of Medical Sciences and Health Services in Iran, hibiscus tea lowered blood pressure by 11.2%.

Hibiscus tea is known by many different names, including Sour Tea, Red Sorrell, Roselle, Karkade, Jamaica tea, and Flor de Jamaica.

5. Walking Lowers Your Blood Pressure

The key to lowering high blood pressure could be at your feet, according to experts.

Walking for moderate amounts each day lowers blood pressure, according to a study from the Korea Institute of Sport Science in Seoul.

The study showed that just 40 minutes per day of brisk walking (at about 3 to 4 miles an hour) lowered systolic blood pressure by 5 points and diastolic blood pressure by 2 points.

And a 2007 study from the University of Ulster at Jordanstown, Newtownabbey Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland found that regular brisk walking reduced resting diastolic blood pressure. Moreover, a 2005 study from Queen's University, Belfast, Ireland showed 30 minutes of brisk walking, five days a week resulted in significant decreases in systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Walking also helps you lose weight, which is a risk factor for high blood pressure and cardiovascular problems.

6. Squeezing a Tennis Ball Lowers Blood Pressure

Walking isn’t the only exercise shown to have a positive effect on blood pressure. Hand exercises also help you fight the pressure. Squeezing a hand-held device or even a simple tennis ball results in a dip in systolic resting blood pressure in just a few weeks, according to a 2007 review from Harvard University.

The National Institute of Aging shows you how – squeeze a tennis ball or other small rubber ball firmly for at least five seconds (build up to this length of time if you need to). Relax your grip for a few moments. Then repeat the squeeze and the rest 10 times using the same hand. Change hands and do the same thing 10 times. Complete two sets per hand. You can do these exercises almost anywhere and certainly while you’re watching TV, chatting on the phone or reading the newspaper.

7. Stevia for Lower Blood Pressure?

Stevia is growing in popularity in the United States as a sweetener because it is said to be up to 300 times sweeter than sugar while containing no calories. Stevia could also help to lower your blood pressure.

A dose of 250mg, three times daily, reduced blood pressure by around 10 percent according to a 2000 study from the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Taipei Medical College and affiliated Taipei Wan Fang Hospital, Taiwan.

A 2003 study from Taipei Medical University, Taiwan on 174 people taking 500mg of Stevia a day showed a reduction in blood pressure of six to seven percent.

8. Eat Garlic to Beat High Blood Pressure

Garlic is a popular choice as part of a heart-healthy diet because it helps widen blood vessels and encourages healthy circulation, a must for healthy blood pressure. The equivalent to two cloves of fresh garlic causes blood vessels to relax up to 72 percent more strongly than a placebo, according to a 2007 study from the University of Alabama, Birmingham. In this way, garlic could be a store cupboard staple for reducing blood pressure. (Read more about the connection between garlic and your blood pressure.)

9. Eating Oatmeal May Cut Your Blood Pressure Medications by Half

Fiber is reportedly great for lowering your blood pressure as well as preventing obesity and heart problems. And oat bran is a particularly powerful blood pressure-buster.

How important is eating oats if you have blood pressure problems? Very.

According to a 2002 study from the University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis whole grain oat cereals significantly reduced the need for blood pressure lowering medication in patients who suffered high blood pressure – 73 percent of participants who consumed oats versus 42 percent in the control group were able to stop or reduce their medication by half.

10. Magnesium and Blood Pressure

Eat a diet high in magnesium and you could lower your blood pressure. This is according to a 2006 study from Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.

Women whose diets contained the highest levels of magnesium were the least likely to suffer from high blood pressure, and vice versa, according to the 10-year study. And a 1994 study by the Erasmus University Medical School, Rotterdam showed magnesium supplements lowered blood pressure in subjects with mild to moderate hypertension.

Magnesium is found in nuts and seeds like sunflowers seeds, almonds and cashews; halibut and shrimp; spinach, avocado and dried fruits; and soybeans, lentils, whole grains, and oatmeal. (Here is a list of foods rich in magnesium.)

11. Does Celery Lower Your Blood Pressure?

Could the humble vegetable celery be as good as medication at reducing blood pressure? According to a 1992 study by the University Of Chicago Medical Center a small amount of celery extract, the equivalent to eating four celery stalks, lowered blood pressure in rats by 12 to 14 percent and lowered cholesterol by around 7 percent.

Apparently an active chemical in celery helps relax the muscles that line your blood vessels and also reduces the levels of stress hormones in the blood, which can cause vessels to constrict and raise blood pressure. (Read more about celery and blood pressure.)

[Update:

12. Get Some Sun to Lower High Blood Pressure?

There is an intriguing connection between the amount of Vitamin D in your blood stream (serum Vitamin D) and your blood pressure.

A 2008 study from Emory University School of Medicine measured the serum Vitamin D levels of 293 Caucasian participants and Black participants.

They found that the white participants who had normal Vitamin D levels also were likely to have normal systolic blood pressure levels. But, those participants who were either "deficient" or who had "insufficient" Vitamin D levels had higher systolic blood pressure numbers.

The results are intriguing because, as many of you may know, African Americans have higher blood pressure than whites, especially after age 50. It is also true that people with darker skin absorb Vitamin D from the sun. Hence, in the study, only about 8% of the Black participants had healthy Vitamin D levels. For this reason, the researchers did not have a large enough sample of Black participants with normal Vitamin D levels to even draw a conclusion as to the role that Vitamin D might play in influencing high blood pressure among Blacks.

But as for those of you who are white, the findings are clear enough to encourage you to get out and get some sun to help your body maintain normal systolic blood pressure.]

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